A Promise Forgotten
by Avalea
Summary: What if Darry forgot the 'no-fighting promise' and became abusive? Rating just to be on the safe side. WOW! I UPDATED!! Don't worry,I'm not dead!
1. A Typical Day at the Curtis'

A Promise Forgotten  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, oh well... Win some lose some.  
  
Chapter 1- A Typical Day At The Curtis'  
  
You'd think that Darry would be a man who would keep his word. That's what I thought. After me and him decided not to fight anymore, I really thought we were gonna keep that promise. But we didn't. About a week after Johnny and Dally died, Darry started to change. He was cold; boy was he cold, to all of us, even Sodapop. And that's just not something I'm used to, since him and Soda are real close. Well it all started about two weeks ago, and Johnny and Dally had been gone for a month. Darry was at work and he couldn't get off until about 7:00. So I decided to go jog around the neighborhood, you know, to get in shape for track. Man, it was so much harder than I thought. I used to be able to run a mile in 6 minutes, this time, it took me 16. I was in really bad shape though. I got home, not expecting anyone to be there since Darry was at work and Soda was at the Dingo, but there was a light on in the kitchen. I thought I must've just left it on, since I really don't use my head. But when I got in there, Darry was sitting on at the kitchen table. He gave me a look that I think meant 'where the hell have you been?'  
  
"Hi Darry" "Pony, where the hell have you been?"  
  
I knew it. I looked at the wall clock, and it said 7:12. Then I thought to myself, 'That's what it said when I left.'  
  
"What time is it Darry?"  
  
He looked at his watch and said,  
  
"It's 8:27"  
  
I guess my jog took longer than I thought. Well, it was probably because I stopped to talk with a real cute little boy. He asked me for a dime, and when I gave him one, we somehow got into the topic of the Tooth fairy.  
  
"I'm sorry Darry, I went for a jog to get-" "You went for a jog at 8 p.m. without telling me!" "Well if I waited for you it would be too late!"  
  
Uh oh, I said that a little too snappishly. I could see Darry stand up and grab the back of the chair like it was a giant stress ball. I could hear him count to 10. His face was red and I knew he was gonna explode.  
  
"Darry." "Shut up Ponyboy! You can't just go walking around the neighborhood like that! How do you think it looked when I came home, and nobody was here! I almost went crazy! And it's dangerous to go walking by yourself in this area, a Soc could've jumped you!" "But they didn't" "Don't talk back to me! You're grounded Ponyboy Curtis, for 1 week!" "That's not fair!"  
  
I guess I shouldn't have snapped, because the next thing I saw was Darry taking off his leather belt. I tried to run to my room, but he grabbed me by my wrist and belted me hard on my side. I tried not to cry, but, dang, it hurt so bad. I guess he saw me crying, because he let go.  
  
"Now go to your room." "Darry.." "I said go!"  
  
He said and made that slapping noise with the belt, that you make when you fold it in half and pull on it. I went to bed, but couldn't sleep. I looked at my side and the red marks from the belt were beginning to show. I really wished that I could go get some ice, but I could hear that Darry was still in the kitchen. I was almost asleep when I heard the front door open, and Soda was yelling a goodbye to Two-Bit. I heard him go into the kitchen and talk to Darry.  
  
"Hey Dar." "Hey." "Boy, you sound tired." "I am." "Why is your belt on the ground."  
  
"Because I whipped Pony."  
  
I guess Soda was drinking a glass of water or something, because after Darry said that, I heard the sound of glass breaking on the ground.  
  
"You What!?" "I whipped Pony, and if you don't clean that up, then you're next."  
  
I could hear Soda picking up the glass. Then he came to bed and I pretended to be asleep. I really didn't want to talk to him. He threw his arm across me as usual and immediately fell asleep. Then I heard the sound of Darry opening a beer bottle. I never knew that Darry drank beer. He did it once, but that was only because he was real nervous. I finally close my eyes and fell asleep. 


	2. Enjoy

Chapter 2 - Enjoy  
  
The next morning, when I woke up, I noticed that Soda wasn't next to me. Since it was a Saturday, I expected him to sleep in. I tried to sit up, but the pain on my side was horrible. I clenched my teeth and stood up anyway. I wasn't about to ask Darry for help. After I had taken a shower and gotten dressed in some of Soda's old jeans and a DX t-shirt, I walked into the living room. As usual, Two-Bit was in there lying on the floor watching Mickey Mouse.  
  
"Hey Pony."  
  
I looked to my left and saw Soda sitting on the couch. He looked at me sympathetically, and motioned for me to come over and sit down. As soon as I did, the front door swung open and Darry walked in. I felt Soda squeeze my hand. I knew that he wasn't leaving my side, and for that I was grateful.  
  
"Hey Pony."  
  
He said cheerfully.  
  
"Hey Darry."  
  
I said, slightly puzzled. He came in and went into the kitchen. I thought everything would just go back to normal, but then I heard Darry yelling at me to get in there. Soda started following me, but Darry told him to stay there. How can he change moods so quickly, I wondered. I walked in there, and he was standing in front of the kitchen sink. When he moved aside, I could see that the sink was full of dirty dishes. (A/N: Like Dirty Dancing, sorry, but I had to throw that one in there. ^_^)  
  
"Pony, didn't I tell you to do these yesterday?" "Yes." "Then can you please tell me how, if you did them yesterday, there are already so many in here, today?" "Because I forgot to do them." "That's right, you forgot. Don't forget anymore!" "Fine. Whatever."  
  
That was a big mistake on my part. I saw him grit his teeth and walk towards me, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground. I sat there, trying to figure out what happened, when I realized that he must have pushed me, and I fell backwards over the chair. Darry beat his hands together as if to say 'Job well done' and walked into the living room. I could ear him chuckle under his breath and I wondered if he likes doing this to me.  
  
I heard Darry open the front door and get into his truck, and then leave for work. I got up and started doing the dishes, but an itch on my right leg was bothering me something awful. I reached down to scratch it, but soon realized that a piece of wood was stuck in my leg. It must have happened when I fell over the chair. It was small, and it wasn't in very deep, but it still hurt and itched like hell. I yelled for Soda and when he came in, I knew he understood what happened. "Come on, let's go into the living room and get you cleaned up."  
  
He said as he picked me up and carried me to the couch. Two-Bit had left already to go to a movie, and I was glad, because I didn't want him asking questions. When Soda took the piece of wood out, the wound bled a lot and looked really nasty. It was obvious that Soda wasn't prepared for all the blood that came out.  
  
"Shit, it's getting all over the couch!" "Go get some wet rags!"  
  
I said as I took the white bandage roll from his hands as he ran to get some wet and soapy rags. I quickly wrapped the bandage around my leg and when Soda returned, I helped him clean it up. When Darry returned home later that night, Soda and I tried to avoid him. Or at least I did, Soda was trying to strike up a conversation with him. Probably because he wanted to go out, and would be home really late.  
  
"Darry, can I go out tonight?" "No"  
  
He said sternly.  
  
"Why not? I did all my chores and I haven't gotten in trouble recently." "Because I said no, and when I say no, I mean it!" "That's not fair!"  
  
Soda said with anger. Darry looked up from the paper he was reading and said, with a slight smile that shocked me.  
  
"Soda, do you have a high threshold of pain?" "Why?" "For future purposes."  
  
That really shut Soda up. He got up and walked back to our room. Not wanting to be left alone with Darry, I joined him. When I got there, I saw that soda was getting dressed up in his "party clothes".  
  
"Soda, you're not thinking of sneaking out, are you?" "Yeah, I am. You can't tell a soul, okay? And if Darry asks you, just tell him that you was asleep before I even left. I don't want you getting in any more trouble. Okay?" "But." "Just shake your head yes or no, Pony!"  
  
I shook a yes, and he opened up our window and left. I had a really bad feeling about it, but I somehow fell asleep anyway. 


	3. Soda goes Under the Belt

Chapter 3 - Soda goes under the belt  
  
I kept waking up during the night, and every time I looked to my side and realized that Soda still hadn't gotten back yet. It was 4 a.m. by the 5th time I'd woken up. I was really starting to get worried. Darry gets up at 5 in the morning on Sundays, so he could get ready for work, and if Soda wasn't home by then.  
  
I tried to not think about it. I don't want Darry hurting Soda. He can hurt me all he likes, but not Soda. I was trying to get back to sleep, when out of the dead silence I heard Darry scream,  
  
"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN SODAPOP CURTIS!?!?" "I just went out for a walk Darry, honest!" "Bull shit! You've been gone since 10!"  
  
I walked to the bedroom door and opened it a crack so I could see what was happening. I wished I hadn't though. Soda was sitting on the floor with his head in his hands crying, and Darry was holding his belt. I was frozen with terror. I closed my eyes but I could still hear the swoosh and crack of the belt as it struck it's target. Then I could hear Soda's cry of pain. Over and over and over again those sounds came into my head until I finally had enough courage to look. Soda was still on the ground, I guess Darry had left because he wasn't there anymore. I walked over to Soda, taking my time in case this was all a bad dream.  
  
"Soda.Sodapop.Are you alright?" "Yeah, go back to bed Pon."  
  
He said between sobs. I walked over to him and helped him sit up. He told me to go get some ice, and when I came back from the kitchen, I was so shocked I almost dropped it all. Soda had taken his shirt off, and I could see at least ten red marks on his back, bleeding and criss-crossing over each other. It was horrible.  
  
"We gotta tell Social Services Soda!" "We can't! I wanna stay here, call me crazy, but I do."  
  
After I had treated all of Soda's cut and smeared rubbing alcohol over them, we went to bed. I was happy that Soda usually sleeps on his stomach, because it was pretty impossible to sleep on his back. I tried not to move too much, I didn't want to hurt him. After a while of not moving, I guess he thought I was asleep, because he started sobbing quietly. I felt so bad, but then I was overcome with anger at Darry. What made him change all of a sudden. Is this a phase or will he stay like this permanently? If he does, what will we do? I kept thinking about Johnny and his parents. They were abusive drunks who hated him. Darry seems like that now. Finally I fell into an unmerciful and nightmare ridden sleep.  
  
(A/N- that was REALLY short, I know. SORRY but that's all for now. Peace ~ I love KoRn!) 


	4. TwoBit suspects

Chapter 4- Two-Bit suspects  
  
When I woke up the next morning, Soda was still asleep. He had been crying, I could tell. He had red bags under his eyes and the pillow was stained with tears. I was so glad that Darry had to work all day today. I got up and went to get dressed in the same clothes that I wore yesterday. I didn't even bother to take a shower. Since I was the first one up, I had to make the breakfast, maybe I would do the dishes, since Soda probably wasn't feeling too good. As soon as I opened the fridge, I was a little alarmed to see 3 beer bottles in the side compartments. They must've been Two-Bit's. He practically lives here and is constantly leaving everything lying around. I decided that breakfast was just gonna be eggs, since there was no cake in the fridge.  
  
"Hey Pony, smells good."  
  
I turned around and saw the ever-handsome face of Soda standing right next to me. It made me jump and break the yolk in my egg.  
  
"Look what you made me do Soda." I yelled playfully. We got into a long, happy conversation, as if nothing had happened the night before. After a while we heard the usual slam of the door as Two-Bit walked in.  
  
"Hey guys, already eat breakfast? Did you save any for me?" I shook my head no and said I'm sorry. "Well that's not fair. Anyway, Soda, you wanna play some poker?" Soda nodded and went out to play on the coffee table. As usual they both cheated, or at least tried to. Two-Bit was a master at cheating, but Soda couldn't cheat his way out of a paper bag.  
  
At around 10:30, Two-Bit flipped on the TV. It was about time for Mickey Mouse to come on. But instead there was one of those annoying television test where the TV buzzes for an hour. Two-Bit kicked the TV and cussed at the ' lack of dedication that Mickey has to his fans.' There is really something wrong with that man. Soda gave me a look that said 'This guy is off his rocker.'  
  
We were about to go to a movie, when Two-Bit noticed a car pulling up in the driveway.  
  
"Hey, I guess Darry got off of work early today." "Did you say Darry?" "Yeah, your oldest brother, ring a bell?"  
  
Soda and I ran to the window, hoping it was a false alarm. It wasn't. We rushed to clean stuff up, while a confused Two-Bit sat on the floor scratching his head. We waited nervously for the usual scuffle of Darry's feet across the porch and then open the door. When he did, Two-Bit said, "Hey Dar, did your boss let you off early?" Darry looked at him and grinned, "Yeah, he did." "Hi Pony, Soda." We gave him a stiff hello.  
  
It was obvious to Two-Bit that something was wrong. "What's up with you guys, you in a fight or something?" he asked when Darry left the room. "No, not really. Oh, and I really don't feel like going to the movies anymore." "Really, well alright. I guess I'm gonna go to the movies with Steve then." He said as he walked out the door.  
  
For the rest of the day, Darry was really nice, like old times. He barely yelled and he even played poker with us. By the end of a 15 round game he won 20 dollars from us both. At around 11:30 Darry got up off the couch and said, "Pony, don't you think it's time for bed. You have school tomorrow." "No I don't, it's a teacher work day, and I don't have to go." He grunted and walked into his room to go to bed.  
  
As I lay in bed that night, I started thinking that things would go back to normal. That him hitting us was just a phase. I fell asleep, and had the best sleep I've had in a while. Things were gonna be alright, I thought. 


	5. Ponyboy Fights Back

Chapter 5 - Pony Fights Back  
  
Today was great, I thought while watching Soda make pancakes. He woke up first, so I had to do dishes, I hate that. I watched as Soda tried to flip a pancake up in the air, but it missed the pan on the way down and smacked him in the face. It was hot, so he started running around and cussing while Two-Bit was on the floor laughing till he was crying. I pulled the pancake off his face and splashed a glass of water on him.  
  
Well, we had burnt pancakes for breakfast, and it was hard to chew and not laugh at Soda. His face was red, and was probably gonna stay that way for at least 30 minutes. Two-Bit and I wanted to take a picture, but Soda swore he would pound us if we did. Two-Bit sat down and turned the TV on to Mickey Mouse, which actually came on today.  
  
The day went by really fast, unfortunately. I didn't want to go to school the next day. It was about 6:00 p.m. when Two-Bit and Soda went to the Dingo. They asked me to come, but I decided against it. I really don't like being in huge crowds like that. And all they usually do is fight there. I wouldn't call myself a great fighter, but I can hold my own in a rumble if I was forced to. Since there wasn't anything on, I just sat at the table and played poker by myself. I was trying to stick cards up my sleeve, to practice to be as good a cheater as Two-Bit was. I heard a knock at the door, and when I went to open it, surprisingly, it was Steve. "Where's Soda?" he asked. "He's at the Dingo." "Really, where's Darry?" "At work." "Oh." He said 'oh' like it was surprising. Though it wasn't surprising that Darry went to work 6 days a week. I mustered up enough courage to ask him why he said it that way; I had to get courage because Steve really doesn't like me. He thinks I just tag along, though that's not my fault. "Because I could've swore that I saw Darry heading over to Tim Shepard's place, oh well." He turned and walked off the porch, probably to go to the Dingo and talk to Soda.  
  
Tim Shepard's? Why in the world would Darry be heading over there? I walked around in a circle thinking why Darry would go over to Tim's place. Tim isn't exactly the greatest guy to be around. Usually, when he throws a party, which is almost every day, there's a lot of liquor and fighting, and other stuff that I'd get in trouble for talking about.  
  
It was exactly 11:15 when a car pulled in the driveway. I knew it wasn't Soda, since, when he went to the Dingo; he didn't come home till really late, and he didn't have a car, unless Steve was driving. I knew it was Darry, but when I looked out the window, he was stumbling a lot. It looked like he couldn't walk in a straight line without help. When Darry came in, he smelled like beer. He had bags under his eyes, like Dally used to get after a night of partying.  
  
"Hey Darry." I said. He just looked at me and burped. That's not like Darry at all; he's usually very polite. He muttered a 'Hey' and walked into the kitchen. I just then remembered that I still had to do the dishes from this morning, and I thought 'Oh, why can't I use my head?' Darry walked back out into the living room and motioned for me to stand in front of him. I tried to say I was sorry, but I stuttered too much. I went to stand in front of him. He started talking to me about procrastination and how he does everything for me and I don't do anything for him. His voice kept getting louder and louder, and I closed my eyes and waited for the almost familiar sound of him cracking his belt and then hitting me hard with it. But when it didn't come I opened my eyes. He wasn't there.  
  
I heard a sound coming from the kitchen. It sounded like a person looking for something in the silverware drawer, you know that clang sound. I walked into the kitchen, and, sure enough, Darry was searching through that drawer. "Come here, Pony." He said. I walked over to him, and I saw he was holding a small, yet sharp knife. He grabbed my wrist and sliced my little finger, but it wasn't very deep. Even so, I started freaking out. I thought he was gonna kill me. I grabbed the tiny reading lamp on the table that he uses late at night when paying bills, and smacked him against the side of the head. The next thing I knew, he was on the floor with a big cut on his cheek and a bunch of other cuts. Some places even had glass sticking out of the skin. A puddle of blood was slowly forming under his head.  
  
I pulled Darry into the living room; I made sure he was still breathing and all. I wrapped a towel around his head. I started to panic. I didn't know if I should call 911, or wait until Soda got back. Then, like someone heard my prayer, Soda came through the front door. As soon as he saw the blood that was now everywhere, he froze in place. "Ponyboy, what happened?" He asked me frantically. I quickly explained all that had happened. He rushed to the phone and called 911. An ambulance came, and put Darry on a stretcher, then carried him out. We hoped into the ambulance and I hung my head low. The only thing I could think of was 'What did you get yourself into now, Ponyboy?' 


	6. The Aftermath

Chapter 6 - The Aftermath  
  
Don't worry! I'm not dead Burnin' Church Gal! Sorry for the lack of updates, but I joined a cheerleading squad and it's been taking up my time. But the season's over, so I'm gonna start writing again. And to all the people that sent flames to my email requesting a new chapter, well this is for you guys. I hope you'll continue to read this story, and thanx for sticking with me! Oh, and I hope you don't mind the turning of the story, since it's going to start leaning into a different genre.  
  
  
  
  
  
The hospital scared me. It's clean smell made me feel like a prisoner. Soda and I had been sitting out in the waiting room for hours. All I could think about was, 'You're in for it now Pony.' I knew that Soda probably hated me for what I had done. When we got into the ambulance, Soda looked at me like he was disappointed. I can understand it though. I wonder what Darry thinks? How are we ever gonna pay the hospital bills.  
  
One of the nurses walked up to us, and I got really nervous. "Are you Mr. Curtis' relatives?" she asked in a British accent. Soda nodded his head. "Well then, follow me." She started to lead us to a door. She stopped in front of room 216. "He has suffered a concussion and has lost a lot of blood, plus his nose was broken, but we've fixed all of that. He's in here, but he may be groggy, and mayn't be able to comprehend what you're saying to him."  
  
She opened the door for us, and immediately the bright light of the room made my eyes hurt. That really annoying pain right behind your eyes that stays for days. Soda walked to the side of the bed and grabbed Darry's hand, as if he was keeping alive and if he let go, he would die. I walked to the other side and sat in a chair. I still felt horrible for what I did, and I knew I had to explain it to Soda and apologize to Darry. I walked up closer to the bed and tried to talk, but all that came out was a few clicks that my throat made.  
  
"Pony." I looked up and saw that Darry was looking at me. He smiled. One of those real, genuine smiles that brighten a day. A smile he always used to give. I knew we were on good terms again. I was so relieved; I'm not one who likes to have long discussions with anybody. And I knew Darry was probably embarrassed about it all.  
  
"Darry, you're awake!" Soda yelled. "Dammit, Soda, you don't have to break my eardrums!" "Sorry Dar." Without warning, we heard a sound from outside the door. "I'm sorry sir, but you can't go in there, only relatives may go in!" "But I'm his uncle's best friend's husband's son's best friend's cousin once removed!" We all looked at each other and said, "Two-Bit"  
  
The door opened and sure enough, there was Two-Bit, with his half smile and the British nurse right behind him. Now that the situation wasn't so dire, I started to notice the nurse. Especially how pretty she was. She had long, straight black hair. Her eyes were kind of pale, almost colorless, as was her skin. She had a few wrinkles, but they made her beautiful. Her nails were the most obvious. They were nearly transparent, but it looked like she tried to hide it with dark red nail polish.  
  
"Sir, you don't expect me to believe that story!" She yelled at Two-Bit. Her teeth were as white as paper. Her lips were cherry red, but they had no lipstick. Her nose was.well.a little odd. It was very small, probably the only really odd thing on her face. "Well, I can't let you be in here by yourself, so I'm going to just have to sit in here with you." "Really, how about you sit in my lap?" She looked at him with a disgusted grin and sat in a chair next to me.  
  
"Roses." I said stupidly. "Excuse me?" she asked curiously. "You smell like roses." She smiled at me. I blushed and looked down. "Oh, it looks like Mr. Curtis has passed out again." I looked up again and saw that this was true; Darry had passed out and was lying at an odd angle. She laid him gently back onto his pillow and asked Soda to move away from him.  
  
"He'll be like this for a while, and besides, visiting hours are over. You'll need to leave sirs." "Fine, but thank you for making sure he's okay miss." Soda said, waiting for her to give her name. "My name is Trinity Price." She shook our hands.  
  
When we were out of hearing distance, Soda looked antsy. "What is it Soda?" "There was something strange about that woman."  
  
~~Okay, hopefully the next chapter will be out soon! I'm tryin really hard. So I'll talk to yall later. And remember..KORN RULES!! 


	7. Author's Note

Author's Note:  
  
Well, thanx to all the people who reviewed my story and to all the people who sent me emails giving me ideas and other stuff, but the truth is, I just don't like this story anymore. Plus I've started another cheer squad, and probably won't be able to update as much as I should. I'm not trying to take up anyone's time, but I just thought that I should explain my reasons for quitting. I do hope, however that someone will like this story enough that they will take it and expand upon it. If you would like to then please feel free to email me at kornsaysimcool14@yahoo.com since I get so many emails, I ask that you comply the guidelines:  
  
Email Policy:  
  
In the subject line put: Author - Promise Forgotten Give a valid reason why you'd like to take this story over. Give me your fanfiction.net name so I can see past works of yours (though it's alright if you've never written before) Don't send a huge file, any file over 50k I will delete, since, in the past, it's been a virus.  
  
Also, please give me a summary of what you plan to do with my story, I know I'm abandoning it, but I still want to keep it kind of under my wing for a while. ^_~  
  
Thanx again everybody, Love and Kiss, Avalea 


End file.
